Post RPLND appetite loss / stomach problems

[ebfun7]

Hey everyone,

OK so I know I’m probably worried for no reason at all but my husband had an open RPLND on September 14th and since then he has not eaten much and says he has no appetite. He also says sometimes his stomach is a little queasy. I worry because after all that he has been through my thought is always "is the cancer coming back?" I'm sure all of you survivors have had that thought at times. Anyways are his tummy issues normal? And how long can he expect to feel this way. Dr. Foster did the RPLND and he said he did have to rearrange his bowels quite a bit and that at first he would take a bite of food and then not want anymore, but it has been two weeks. He had hid last round of high dose chemo on July 14th. Could this be his problem?

I thought I would be so relieved once his treatment was done. I thought I would feel less stressed and happy again. But this surveillance stuff is also a constant worry.

Thanks everyone

Erin

[dadmo]

Erin:
It's amazing how long these guys can go without a good meal after that operation. My son didn't eat much for the first 3 weeks so your husband is probably ok. What happens is that the intestines become paralyzed after they’re handled and it just takes some time for the whole GI tract to get back to normal. The big thing is to make sure he’s going to the bathroom and passing gas. That’s how you'll know that there isn’t a blockage. Don't worry about the loss of appetite being a cancer problem it's pretty standard after that operation.

[Kev332]

Dadmo is right,,, it does take a while to get an appitite back...

How often does his stomach ache? I had major abdominal pain after my RPLND and it ended up being a blockage... not fun let me tell ya..., but i think that usually happens soon after the surgery... You're husband is more than 2 weeks post op, so its probably just the normal lack of appitite that goes along with the RPLND like Dadmo said...

Try not to stress too much (easier said than done) and see how he is in the next few days etc... If he is still having pain, it wouldn't hurt to bring him to the doc.

Take care,
Kevin